Tag: Update

Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for Windows 10. As Windows Vista officially comes to an end on extended support today, the Windows 10 Creators Update has officially been released!

The Windows 10 Creators Update is the first major update for Windows 10 this year, and this update follows on from the Windows 10 Anniversary Update that was released on the 2nd August 2016. As another major Windows Update is set to be released in the coming months, I wanted to give you a run-down of the features I have discovered in the Windows 10 Creators Update, considering that I made the jump to the Windows 10 Creators Update a week early ahead of today’s official release:

Night Light / Just like f.lux and Apple’s Night Shift feature that comes bundled with all iOS devices, the Creators Update brings this feature to the table and is useful for power-hungry users like me who don’t want to strain their eyes whilst looking at the computer or laptop screen for hours on end. This feature is beneficial if you want to sleep better at night.

Speed & Performance / There is a noticeable change in speed and performance after installing this update, as the Windows 10 Creators Update appears to have fixed any problems I may have come across before in previous updates, not to mention the operating system itself appears to be a lot faster than before.

Microsoft Edge / Microsoft’s Edge Browser is more responsive and has a new tab preview option, with the ability to set aside tabs that you can revisit later on. Web Notes come bundled with the browser as part of the Windows 10 Creators Update.

Custom Colours / Custom Colours comes to the Windows 10 Creators Update, so if you’re looking to customise the colours of the title bars, including the Start Menu, the Taskbar and Action Centre in the Creators Update, head to Start –> Settings –> Personalisation –> Colours.

Storage Sense / Similar to Disk Cleanup, Storage Sense in the Windows 10 Creators Update allows you to optimise your system storage by allowing you to free up space by deleting temporary files and anything else that may be cluttering your system’s memory.

Windows Settings / As part of the Creators Update, Windows 10 gets more hands-on with gaming, and in some / most software programs now, a Game Bar, which was present in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update but wasn’t often shown in the Anniversary Update now appears more frequently in the Creators Update, which is beneficial if you are someone who loves playing games on a Laptop / PC.

Themes / Custom Themes are now a part of the Creators Update, so if you want to change the background on your Laptop / PC, the colour of the theme, including the sounds and the Mouse Cursor, you can now change those in the Creators Update.

Taskbar / You now have the options of hiding the taskbar in desktop and tablet mode while also being given the option to show badges on taskbar buttons, with the added option of being able to replace Command Prompt with Windows PowerShell in the menu when you right-click the Start button or press the Windows Logo Key.

Mobile Hotspot / Mobile Hotspot is now in the Creators Update, as you can now connect 8 devices to your Laptop / PC’s Internet, even if your laptop is connected to your standard Wi-Fi connection.

Troubleshoot / If something doesn’t work properly in the Creators Update, then it’s worth using Troubleshoot, as you can troubleshoot any internet connection problems, fix any problems with audio, even problems with printing wirelessly and even resolve problems that prevent you from updating Windows. The Troubleshoot category also allows you to fix other problems, such as the Blue Screen of Death, Bluetooth, Hardware and Devices, HomeGroup, Incoming Connections, the Keyboard, the Network Adapters, Power, the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter, Recording Audio, Search and Indexing, Shared Folders, Speech, Video Playback & Windows Store Apps.

Cortana / The Microphone button has been redesigned along with other notable changes and has been improved for better use with the Creators Update.

Picture in Picture / Just like iOS, the Windows 10 Creators Update now supports Picture in Picture mode, so if you want to watch a music video, a film or footage you may have captured whilst seeing your favourite musician, author or film actor on tour, then Picture in Picture mode will be useful for you whilst you work on something else.

Inking / Inking is a new feature that has come to the Photos app, which is useful if you want to annotate a photograph or design you have created.

Windows Hello / Microsoft have improved the recognition process for facial scanning, making the login process faster for users who have Windows Hello Support on selected Laptops / PCs.

Improved Control Over Privacy & Updates / You are now able to pause updates you don’t want to download for up to a week, and you can set the Active Hours on Windows 10 up to 18 hours, which is useful for if you want to install any updates outside of work hours. Privacy controls can now be changed, so if you want to turn off or review certain features in Windows 10, such as diagnostics, location, speech recognition, as well as relevant ads, you can now do so thanks to the Windows 10 Creators Update.

Paint 3D / Paint officially goes 3D in the Creators Update, which, for the first time, modernises the old with the new and you can now design something in Paint 3D and share it with community members of Remix 3D and if you want to see any work that other Remix 3D community members have produced, you can do so now with the Creators Update. If you want to share your creations to the Remix 3D website or you want to use it on a Windows Mixed Reality Headset or Microsoft HoloLens, thanks to the Creators Update, this is now possible.

What are my thoughts on the Windows 10 Creators Update?

Personally, the Creators Update is a remarkable improvement on Windows 10, because I have noticed the update has made my old HP Stream 11 much faster, and I didn’t think the Creators Update would be so fast on the HP Stream 11 but it surprisingly is and I have noticed that this update has fixed problems I had with my HP Stream 11 initially and made it a whole lot faster and much easier to use. Of course, I installed the Windows 10 Creators Update early on the HP Notebook 17 I currently use, which as it happens, is the current laptop I have used to write this review and I must say that Microsoft have done such a good job with this update because I’ve noticed that my HP Notebook 17 is a lot faster and easier to get around, and not only that, but I’ve noticed that Windows 10 has become a whole lot faster and much easier to get around.

Is the Creators Update more hands-on?

Of course, it is. The Creators Update has allowed me to be more productive in the work I want to produce and has come as a boost in speed and performance for me. In terms of playing games, such as Sonic CD, I have noticed that there are absolutely no drops in the frame rate and the Creators Update has made sure to keep Windows 10 fast and consistent and as it doesn’t require as much RAM (Random Access Memory), I have noticed that Windows 10 has become a lot faster as each major update has been released.

Conclusion

I strongly believe that the Windows 10 Creators Update has fixed a lot of problems and even given me a boost in speed and performance. I’ve noticed an improvement in productivity as well as being able to be more creative with any work I produce, as well as any articles that I love to write and publish and thanks to the Windows 10 Creators Update, I can work much better now than before.

If you haven’t downloaded and installed the update, I strongly recommend you update your Laptop / PC to the Windows 10 Creators Update. Also, if you have a Windows Phone running Windows 10, the Windows 10 Creators Update for Windows Phone will be released on the 25th April. The Windows Phone Devices that will support the Windows 10 Creators Update for Mobile are:

Alcatel IDOL 4S

Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL

HP Elite x3

Lenovo Softbank 503LV

MCJ Madosma Q601

Microsoft Lumia 550

Microsoft Lumia 640

Microsoft Lumia 640XL

Microsoft Lumia 650

Microsoft Lumia 950

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL

Trinity NuAns Neo

VAIO VPB051.

If you own one of the 13 Windows Phone Devices listed above, then your Windows Phone is eligible for the Windows 10 Creators Update once it is released to Windows Phone on the 25th April.

If you enjoyed this review and found this review helpful, please let me know. I would love to hear your response.

Coming just weeks after iOS 9 was unveiled at Apple’sWorldwide Developers Conference (also known as WWDC), iOS 8.4 has just officially been released to the masses. With this update comes the official Apple Music service, as well as many of the other new features that are now available in this update. This update came two hours early ahead of the usual release time that Apple have normally stuck to since the first ever iPhone, iPod touch and iPad were released.

Also, the Music app has officially been redesigned and includes new features, such as Recently Added, which is seen most commonly in iTunes. As well as that, the music player has finally got a mini player as you would most commonly see in iTunes as well, and to top it all off, Up Next and other further features in the Music app have finally been added.

Upon opening the Music application, you’ll be greeted with the Apple Music logo and background, with two options that will come up, giving you the chance to choose whether you want to start your 3-month free trial with Apple Music today, or if you don’t, you get the chance to just go to your music library.

Here is the full changelog for iOS 8.4, covering the features that are new to the software, as well as the music application’s icon being given a redesign, ready for the iOS 9 update coming in the Autumn:

This update introduces Apple Music — a revolutionary music service, 24/7 global radio, and a way for fans to connect with their favourite artists — all included in the redesigned Music app. iOS 8.4 also includes improvements for iBooks and bug fixes.

Apple Music

Become an Apple Music member to play from millions of songs in the Apple Music catalogue, or keep them offline for playback later.

For You: Members can see playlist and album recommendations, hand-picked by music experts.

New: Members can find the latest, greatest new music available — direct from our editors.

Radio: Tune in to music, interviews and exclusive radio shows on Beats 1, play radio stations created by our editors, or create your own from any artist or song.

Connect: See shared thoughts, photos, music and videos from artists you follow, then join the conversation.

My Music: Play from all your iTunes purchases, songs from Apple Music, and playlists in one place.

Completely redesigned music player that includes new features such as Recently Added, Mini Player, Up Next and more.

iTunes Store: Still the best place to buy your favourite music — one song or album at a time

Availability and features may vary by country.

iBooks improvements and fixes

Browse, listen and download audiobooks from inside iBooks.

Enjoy the all-new Now Playing feature, designed specifically for audiobooks.

Books that are Made for iBooks now work on iPhone in addition to iPad.

Find and pre-order books in a series straight from your library.

Improves accessibility of widgets, glossary and navigation in books made with iBooks Author.

New default Chinese font.

New setting to turn off Auto-Night theme in your library.

Resolves an issue that may have prevented Hide Purchases from working.

Resolves an issue that may have prevented downloading books from iCloud.

Other improvements and bug fixes

Fixes an issue where receiving a specific series of Unicode characters causes device to reboot.

After an extremely long wait, iTunes Radio has officially arrived in the United Kingdom, and can now be found next to the playlist icon. Also, Beats 1 and many other various radio stations are now available within the Music app. Apple Music Connect is also a welcome of open arms, meaning that after some time, you can now follow your favourite musicians, either through tapping on the “Follow” button, or by tapping on the “Automatically Follow Artists” button when you add the music from your iTunes Library to your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad device.

At last, after a long wait, landscape mode for music videos has officially returned to the Music app, a commonly used feature that was in iOS 6.

The Music application has had a major design overhaul and has also been more of a focus for Apple, considering that the Apple Music service has just officially been launched today.

Below are the screenshots that show iOS 8.4, and the redesigned Music application all in action (including iTunes Radio UK & Beats 1 Radio).

I have checked in the Music app, and it’s a luck of the draw, if you feel that you don’t want to subscribe to Apple Music, there is an option to say no, as Apple have put an option below the “Start 3 Month Free Trial” button, saying “Go to My Music”. This is a wise move from Apple, as this means that you don’t have to worry about it, you can still use the Music app for free, and making purchases in the iTunes Store and the App Store, including the desktop version of the iTunes Store mean that you can still use iTunes and the Music app for free without having to pay, unless you’ve already started the 3-month free trial with Apple Music today.

If you haven’t already, please make sure to go ahead and upgrade your iPhone, iPod touch (5th Generation) or iPad to the latest software. This iOS update is much better now and is worth the upgrade. It is also the most stable software update that Apple have released before the final version of iOS 9 arrives in the Autumn.

To update your iOS Device, go to the Settings app, then to General, and then to Software Update, where the update will be available to download and install.

Hello everyone!!! I wanted to share a quick and easy tip on how to feature a blog post on the new Twenty Fourteen theme. Below, I have provided a few easy steps on how you can feature a blog post while using the new Twenty Fourteen layout.

How to feature your blog post on the new Twenty Fourteen theme:

1. Click “Edit Post” on the post you have just published.

2. The “Add New Post” screen will appear with all the functions required for every blog post. You will also notice a Tags box under the Format box shown below in the iPad mini screenshot.

3. This is where the easy part kicks in, you’ll be able to add all the usual tags, such as words that you have used in your blog post, but to feature your blog post, you just add the tag Featured to the tags you have already added.

4. Click ‘Update‘ or ‘Publish‘ whatever button is available before or after publishing the blog post, and your blog’s home-page should come up with this:

5. Your blog post should now feature on your blog’s home-page in a formatted magazine layout, and is also handy as you will be able to click on the arrow for other posts you have featured.

Thank you for reading this blog post, and I hope this step-by-step guide helped :-).

Hello again. I wanted to surprise all of you early this Christmas by announcing that the blog’s theme will be changed to reflect 2014. The new Twenty Fourteen layout will make using the blog a lot more organised, better to use and will also be given a new name that will reflect nature and life at your fingertips. The Twenty Fourteen theme goes live on New Year’s Day 2014.

The new title which goes live on the 1st January 2014 will be called: Mother Nature | Life at the touch of a button.

This will make the blog a lot more effective, and will also make the blog itself look tidier and professional for your daily needs. This theme will also work on the iPad Air & iPad mini, the iPhone 5S & iPhone 5C and the iPod touch (5th Generation) and other tablets and smartphones. Every other smartphone, including the old iPhones, old iPod touches etc will be compatible with the Twenty Fourteen theme as well. I also wanted to take the opportunity of showing Nelson Mandela on the home page in the preview as a mark of respect.

Below is a preview of the new name for this blog, and also the new Twenty Fourteen blog theme.

Please stay tuned to this blog, as I’ll be updating some of the features already on this blog over the coming weeks, and will also be posting more before 2013 draws to a close.

As you know I recently mentioned in the ”About this Blog” column about 2 weeks ago that I’ve had to make allowances for my GCSE’s and iGCSE’s on top, which I’ve just updated now. I have also given the blog a whole new look, and have also made the background blend in to fit with the Winter weather which is soon to arrive in the coming months. I thought ”update the appearance of the blog, give it a tidier layout and top it off with a background that will blend in with the new appearance”, because I want to be sure I can keep all of you up-to-date on the latest blog posts.

To get back to the home page, I have provided this picture of the new appearance, and I have also put an arrow facing to the Header of the site as a guide if you end up feeling a little lost around the site.

Please comment on what you think of the new design (The Eventbrite Single Event), and feel free to drop me an email via the ‘Contact’ column of this site, where I have made a contact form for all of you to suggest ideas, and your thoughts of future blog posts to come.

As autumn nears, I wanted to make the most of the nice weather whilst I could before it starts to get cold, so I’ve uploaded a few photos of the weather before and during the heavy rainfall from yesterday.

If the nice, warm and breezy weather holds for Tuesday, I may be able to get a lot of photos at Battersea Park, so I’m hoping this good weather lasts.

On the 1st September I will be updating the header on this blog to reflect this autumn, and winter months soon to come. It is a simple, sunrise-based header, with bold text to make it look simplistic.

I have uploaded them as they are on here if you want to save them as an iPad wallpaper, and I almost forgot to mention, I have added at least 8 new wallpapers to the folder ‘Nature’s Wonders’ on Dropbox. I have provided a link below, so feel free anytime to download and use these as an iPhone or iPod touch wallpaper.

÷ (Deluxe) / Ed Sheeran

MN Calendar

Alex’s Mix

Quotes

"Mistakes have to be made in order for them to be fixed, making mistakes and fixing them helps us all get better at something, so that it makes us stronger each time." - Alex Smithson

"Don't let anyone in the world tell you that you're ready for anything. Tell the world that you are ready to do the things what you want to do in life on your own terms, and not on anyone else's terms." - Alex Smithson

"In life, we all have to make sacrifices in order to become better at certain things we weren’t better at before, and by making sacrifices, this will make us all become stronger in ourselves, all of us will also believe in ourselves more for the sacrifices we’ve made, and at the end, all of the hard work and effort will pay off. Make sacrifices to make ends meet, and also make sacrifices so that all of the hard work and effort you’ve made pays dividends." - Alex Smithson

"Define yourself as someone who has the energy to reach their potential and become the best at something.

Don't define yourself to look like you've got no potential. Define yourself to show everyone what you can do, and not the other way around.

Don't let anyone define you and make you into something that makes you look like the bad character. Define yourself as a good character, and go and strive for every opportunity that's available.

Take a chance, make a change, and do the things you want to do, all for the right reasons." - Alex Smithson

"Don't hate yourself. Love yourself and be strong for yourself. Don't let anyone bring you down. Ride through the pain and you'll get through it with strength, determination and courage. Remember this, you have to go through the pain in order to become stronger, not just on the outside, but also on the inside." - Alex Smithson

“Lifelines are thrown at us to help us get stronger at what we do.
Make the most of every opportunity wisely and make those opportunities you get worth your while.
Go for every opportunity available now whilst you still can, because they might never come around again in your life.” – Alex Smithson

“Hey, always remember this. Be who you want to be & don’t let the world form you into something you’re not. Make the world accept you.” – MarQuis Trill

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” - Vince Lombardi

“Do more of what makes you happy.” – Alfie Deyes

“It’s not where you begin that matters. It’s where you end up.” – Joey Graceffa

“This will be a revolution of inquiring further, of not worrying about winning other people’s approval, of not wishing you were someone else but perfectly content to be who you are. Someone unique, and rare, and fearless. I want to start a revolution of love.” – Madonna

“If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.” - Milton Berle

“Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success”. - Swami Sivananda

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” - Albert Einstein

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill